Locals competing at senior curling provincials

Richmond will be playing host to the province’s best senior curlers from Feb.15-21 when the 2016 Tim Hortons BC Senior Curling Championships roll into the city.

Sixteen teams from across the province will be vying for the opportunity to represent BC at the Canadian Senior Curling Championships in Digby, Nova Scotia.

Regional playdowns took place in Grand Forks, Enderby, Nanaimo, Kitimat and Abbotsford to decide who would represent each region at the provincial championship.

Along with the two teams from northern BC who qualified at the beginning of January (Team Boese, from Smithers Curling Club, and Team Bulleid, from Terrace Curling Club) seven further senior teams of each gender have now qualified.

Representing the Kootenay region in the women’s draw will be Matthews rink from Trail-Nelson, which includes skip Marnie Matthews and third Rose Beauchamp from Trail and Nelson’s Carol Bennett at second and Cathy McLeod playing lead.

The senior women roster includes two-time BC senior women’s champion, Penny Shantz, from Parksville. Shantz won a gold medal at the Calgary Olympics when curling was a demonstration sport. The senior men’s field includes Bob Ursel, of Kelowna, who represented BC at the Brier in 1999, 2003 and 2008. Coach Karen Lepine, from Langley, is the current Canadian Master Women’s champion, and Katie Witt, of Coquitlam, is the coach for Team Daniels, who recently returned from junior nationals with silver medals.

Team Shantz from Nanaimo, Team Richter from Penticton/Vancouver, Team Deputan from Chilliwack, Team Noble from Qualicum Beach/Royal City, Team Foster from Kelowna and Team Clement from Summerland complete the women’s field.

In men’s play, the Kootenay representative features Trail Super League curlers Myron Nichol, skip, and third Bill van Yzerloo of Castlegar, Garry Beaudry of Nelson at second and Trail’s Richard Faunt playing lead.

The men’s field is rounded out by Team Marshall from Chilliwack, Team Roemer from Delta Thistle, Team Harris from Cloverdale, Team Lepine from Langley, Team Craig from Victoria and Team Ursel from Kelowna.

Visit playdowns.com and click on the Curl BC tab to see scores and standings and to follow the events as they happen.